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Commentary on "Releasing Into Ministry"
Day 1: Sabbath Afternoon, May 26, 2012 - Introduction
Overview
The Lesson today quotes Romans 10:15, “And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Then this statement is made: “It is not enough that people be trained for evangelism and witnessing work; they must actively work for souls."
The point is made that without evangelism and active witnessing, there will be no new believers, and God’s work cannot go forward.
Observations
Indeed, without hearing the word of God, there is no faith. Paul had just said in verse 14,
“And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Romans 10:14
People often ask, “How can all those teeming millions who have never heard the gospel preached to them be saved? It just doesn’t seem fair for them to be lost.” Various solutions are offered that try to remove the implied accusation that God is unjust in neglecting the lost. Some will merely say that humans are responsible for reaching lost souls, but they lack zeal. God’s work is dependent on our sanctified efforts and will. Others will embrace Universalism, saying that “God will get them all, love wins.”
The good news throughout the full testimony of Scripture declares that God takes responsibility for saving the lost, from beginning to end. It is our privilege to be used as His instruments, but He has always made sure His message got out, creating faith in its hearers. God anticipated our doubts about this, so He inspired Paul to write verse 18 (Romans 10). Here Paul asks a question, and then gives a mysterious answer:
But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
This is a startling claim, and is contrary to what many of us were taught about evangelism. Here Paul, by quoting Psalms 19, is asserting that the gospel has already gone out to the world. A voice and words have already gone out. What voice and what words have gone out to the ends of the world? Tomorrow, we will look at Psalms 19 and study what those words are, how they are sent out, and how they serve the gospel. Throughout this week, we will look at other Old Testament examples of how God has taken control of his word, and used some unexpected methods and messengers to bring His word to the ends of the earth.
Copyright 2012 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised May 25, 2012. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Camp Verde, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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